<p>That's right... for both getting hired, and actually doing the job...</p>
<p>My mom always used to tell me that a kid with an IQ of 130+ could get a job as a software developer even without a college education. I always used to argue with her about this, but now I'm starting to think... is she right??</p>
<p>I'm considering majoring in finance at McCombs OR Wharton, versus CS at Stanford... I'm not sure which one to pick. But in any case, could a financial analyst become a programmer if he decides that his job sucks? Could a CS major become a financial analyst if he decides that his job sucks?</p>
<p>Becoming a singer is easy.
Becoming a good singer is hard, hard, hard!</p>
<p>The same goes for computer science. Any bonehead can do some web development but there is a lot of depth to this field and if you study it at stanford you won’t regret it!</p>
<p>I think because the tools of programming (a computer, a compiler, an editor, tutorials, resources etc…) are usually free and open to the public and computers are everywhere almost anyone can learn to become a software engineer as opposed to becoming an electrical or mechanical engineer. It seems that back in the day (mid-late 1990s) the software industry was short on hands and so anyone with programming experience got hired. That may not be the case today and companies might want to see a college degree (maybe not necessarily a CS degree though). </p>
<p>However becoming a computer scientist (knowing theory, etc…) usually requires schooling (just like becoming a math major).</p>
<p>That being said, CS/SE are relatively new, and the job market has only just been settling down. In period of heavy demand in any field, the requirements will drop. And since programming is something anybody with a computer can do, a lot of people learn how to do it and could be useful to a company with skills they pick up.</p>
<p>My real opinion is this: if you want to be a software engineer, and have the means, go get an education in CS/SE (or even CE). There are several reasons for this. First, you will learn a lot more than just computer-related stuff at college - most schools require some core classes and some distribution stuff. Does Stanford have any of these?
Math requirements
Science requirements
English requirements
Philosophy requirements
Public speaking requirements
…
These are important classes, possibly the most important, you will take in any major… the difference between “having a degree” and not.</p>
<p>More pointedly, I was a pretty hot-shot programmer when I started in CS (nowhere near as good a program as Stanford) and I have learned a lot of stuff that improves my ability to write programs (and much more from my technical classes).</p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies. So I’m guessing it looks like pretty much any college major will do. I have used Java, C++, and Matlab a lot in the past… mainly for a hobby or for research at a university, but never actually got a paid job. I’m still in high school… so I still have to decide whether I want to do Finance or CS (passionate about both at similar levels).</p>
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<p>Thanks, AuburnMathTutor… I’m pretty sure those are included in most college degrees.</p>
<p>And I didn’t mean to imply they didn’t. My only point was that one should not forego an education in CS/CE/SE, because an education period is better than none.</p>
<p>However, you conveniently didn’t take into account the latter part of my post. To clarify, my position is that if you want to be a good software engineer, or a halfway decent computer scientist, you need to major in something closely allied… CS, mathematics, an engineering, or a science… I don’t know. But the amount of programming one can learn on their own before school isn’t sufficient, or even necessary.</p>